Kokoro
by jirachindigo438
Summary: The arrival of Haruhi's outspoken younger sister triggers painful memories for Kyoya. With Haruhi and Tamaki discovering their feelings for each other, what will Hikaru do? How will Kaoru deal with his beloved brother's courses of action? Haruhi/Tamaki and Kaoru/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First story (:  
Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club. Just my OC. **

The girl stopped in front of the two double-doors. She looked up, large brown eyes sweeping over the sign hanging above her. "Music Room #3." This was the place.

She was a small thing, with glossy dark brown hair cut in straight bang across the front and long-lashed brown eyes that seemed too big for her pale face. She was dressed in a green-themed schoolgirl uniform. She carried a brown satchel over one shoulder, stamped with "Kirimoto Girls Academy."

The girl placed one thin hand on the door handle and swung it open vigorously. A sensational flurry of velvety red rose petals spiraled out of the room as a flash of white light momentarily blinded her. She gave a short gasp.

"Welcome," several sultry voices said in unison. The girl raised one eyebrow as she scrutinized the getup before her. One blond dude in a blue Chinese cheongsam (weren't those only worn by women?), a black-haired guy with glasses in a red and gold silk shirt (he looked like a real nerd but she liked his small smile), two peach-haired twins with mischievous smirks on their faces in black fedoras (they were kind of cute, just kind of, but looked a lot like genuine devils), a tall kid with a well-toned body (the extensive amount of apathy written on his face was amazing if not creepy), and finally a smiling, adorable goldilocks sitting on the tall guy's shoulders holding a pink stuffed rabbit (what a baby…). Okay, this clearly wasn't right. Where was her older sister?

"Hi!" the little honey-haired boy waved to the girl excitedly from his perch on the expressionless man's shoulders. He gestured to his rabbit. "This is Usa-chan. Wanna hold him?"

She raised her other eyebrow as she looked around the extremely oriental and ostentatious room. "Uh…"

"My, my, looks like we have a new guest," the princely blonde extended a bejeweled hand towards her. "And a rather young one too. How do you do, my princess? Which of our services will you be requesting today?"

"Are you a boy? You're wearing a girl's dress," the girl asked him right back, one eye twitching in distaste. He instantly recoiled, his blue eyes shocked.

"Wh-what did she just ask?" he gasped, placing a hand over his heart in pain. God, what a drama queen.

"She asked if you were a boy, since you're kind of wearing an outfit worn only by Chinese women. A perfectly good question to ask of you, Tamaki-sempai," a new voice said flatly from behind the girl. She instantly turned and gaped. There was a gentle-eyed brunette holding grocery bags. The newcomer gave her a single look. The two of them blanched.

"Ha…ruhi?" the girl in the uniform asked in a small voice.

"Sakura?" the brunette with the shopping bags dropped her load to the ground, not caring about the cans and bottles that came spilling out.

"The instant coffee!" the twins cried out, racing to save the club's signature drink.

"Haruhi!" the girl cried before racing to her to wrap her arms around the brunette's waist.

"Uh, anyone care to explain," one twin began.

"This situation to us?" the other finished.

"Who's this girl anyway?" they chorused.

"As of what I know, she's not in my database," the black-haired boy with glasses inspected the table of contents in his little black book. "Highly odd."

"You're not going to have everyone in that book of yours, Kyoya-sempai," Haruhi deadpanned.

"Do you want to eat some cake with me?" the little boy hopped off his friend's shoulders and approached the new girl. "We have strawberry and chocolate and green tea!"

"Honey, leave her be," Haruhi addressed the boy gently. "She's probably had quite a rough journey here."

"Who is she anyway?" Tamaki echoed the first twin's question, but with a grumbling tone to his inquiry. He still hadn't gotten over being snubbed by this stranger.

"She's…she's my little sister, Fujioka Sakura," Haruhi said softly. The girl raised her head and gazed into her older sister's eyes, her own brown ones quavering.

"You have a little sister?" Tamaki and the twins said as one, their mouths hanging wide open in shock. The girl released her grip around Haruhi and turned to face them.

"Didn't she just say that I'm her little sister? So obviously she does," Sakura spat.

"Feisty," the quiet man said with a small smile.

"She's the spitting image of you, Haruhi," Tamaki exclaimed.

"Well, yeah, we're sisters. As novel as the idea may seem to you, sempai, siblings often do look alike," Haruhi said flatly.

"Kyoya, how long have you known this?" the first twin exclaimed.

"Well, I was quite aware of the fact Haruhi had a younger sister who attended a private boarding school in Kyoto and was well-known for her argumentative debater skills, A-class musical abilities, and well-practiced martial arts. As I did not have a picture of her in my database, I was unable to tell that this girl was Fujioka Sakura," Kyoya's glasses glinted in the afternoon sunlight.

"Don't you ever think it's kind of creepy, how Kyoya knows just about everything about everyone?" the second twin asked.

"Not really, I mean, we've all gotten used to it," Haruhi shrugged.

"Sakura-chan! You and I are going to be great friends," the little boy said as he raced over and grabbed the girl's hand. He proceeded to tug her to the cake-laden table on the other of the room, babbling about his Usa-chan and the different varieties of sweets she just had to try.

"Hold on, I don't even know who you are," Sakura managed to free herself from his grip.

"I'm Haninozuka Mitzukuni, third-year student," he said with a cute smile. "But call me Honey."

"You're a third-year student who's still obsessed with stuffed animals and sweets, and who's shorter than me," Sakura deadpanned. "And who's called Honey."

"Yup!" Honey said.

"And who are the three of you?" Sakura turned a sharp eye on the twins and Tamaki.

"I'm Suou Tamaki, second-year student, son of the school dean, and president of the Ouran High School Host Club," Tamaki swept a bow as best as he could in his cheongsam. He tossed back his head of blond hair, a charming smile on his face. His charisma had no effect on her. After all, her first impression of him had been a real dumb blonde. Not quite favorable.

"I'm Hitachiin Hikaru," the first twin said. "First-year student."

"And I'm Hitachiin Kaoru, first-year student as well," the second twin added. "Try to tell us apart!"

"I don't think you needed to tell her you were a first-year as well," Haruhi said. "She can kinda tell."

"Twins," Sakura said pensively. She looked from one boy to the other, before breaking out into a sunshiney smile. "Cute!"

"Did she just call them cute?" Tamaki froze. The twins smirked in unison at him. Hitachiin twins, 1, Boss, 0. The game was already in their favor.

"No; I called the idea of them being twins cute," Sakura said, glaring at each of them in turn. She then turned to Kyoya and the quiet man. "Who are you guys?"

"Ootori Kyoya, vice-president of the Ouran High School Host Club," Kyoya said, fixing his glasses. "Second-year student."

"Morinozuka Takashi," the unnamed one spoke quietly. "Third-year student."

"You're the Judo and Kendo master, aren't you?" Sakura asked. "I think I remember your demonstration in Kyoto two years back."

"Yeah," Mori responded.

"Wow, you're a quiet one, aren't you?" Sakura asked, blinking at his laconicism.

"What was your first clue?" Haruhi deadpanned. "And also, what are you doing here?"

"Oh yeah, my story," Sakura cleared her voice, feigning dramatic.

"Don't even," Haruhi said shortly. Sakura shot her a quick glare.

"Anyway, I guess it began sometime last year," Sakura quickly sobered down. "Dad wanted me to withdraw from Kirimoto because it was getting too expensive, even with the three-quarters Dragon scholarship. Last year was going to be my last year there, but I guess he kind of forgot about me with all the work he has to do, so I stayed there. I paid off the first term tuition and dorm fees by working as library staff and assisting the music teacher. I held a couple local piano concerts nearby, which drew in enough money to feed me. But when I heard that you'd transferred to Ouran after Dad finally remembered he had a second daughter, I decided to take the entrance exam for the middle school here. I won the full-ride scholarship so there aren't any fees to worry about."

"What sort of father forgets about his daughter?" Hikaru and Kaoru exclaimed as one.

"Apparently ours does," Sakura said flatly.

"Do you know where you'll be staying now?" Haruhi asked.

"Isn't it a given that she would stay with you?" Kyoya looked surprised for the first time since…well, for the first time.

"Our apartment only serves two people. And plus, Sakura and our father aren't exactly on pleasant terms," Haruhi responded. "Which is why he probably didn't forget her, but rather didn't want to deal with her. It is your own fault, Kura-chan."

"Dad hasn't ever been the ideal parent, and I don't recognize him as my real father," Sakura said bitterly. Mori and Kyoya each raised an eyebrow at this declaration.

"That doesn't sound like Ranka-san," Tamaki said thoughtfully.

"Does Sakura-chan want to stay with me? There's cake at our house!" Honey said cheerfully before choosing another dessert to gorge himself on.

"I don't think that's what she had in mind," Mori responded.

"You don't?" Honey looked up at the stoic man, his brownish eyes quavering with tears.

"Actually, I've already found a place to stay," Sakura butted in before Honey could unleash the waterworks. "I'm working part-time at a mixed-Asian café near the school. It sells some pretty good PMT and mochi. They offered me a flat to live in."

"What's PMT?" Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru asked in unison.

"Commoners' snack," Kyoya muttered.

"Is it a kind of cake? Maybe Usa-chan will like it," Honey inquired. Mori shook his head no.

"Actually, PMT is a kind of drink," Haruhi said blankly. "Pearl milk tea. It's pretty good stuff."

"Is it like instant coffee?" Hikaru asked.

"That's the club's signature drink," Kaoru added.

"Okay, I have a couple questions before we explain what PMT is," Sakura said suddenly. "What the hell is this Host Club anyway? A ton of the girls at Kirimoto were obsessed over magazines that had your faces in them. And I don't see why."

"Ah, yes, only one type of the club merchandise we sell," Kyoya said with a satisfied expression. "It has become extremely popular throughout the area."

"The Ouran High School Host Club is a group of the handsomest boys on campus with too much time on their hands who dedicate their time to entertaining young ladies who also have too much time on their hands," Tamaki explained.

"That sounds pretty pathetic," Sakura shrugged. Tamaki face-faulted in disbelief before hurrying into a corner to sulk and grow mushrooms.

"It is," Mori muttered under his breath. Honey looked up at him, surprise in those baby amber eyes.

"What makes you say that?" the twins chorused.

"Yeah, saying that we're pathetic is bad!" Honey jutted out his bottom lip in a pout.

"Don't get worked up, Honey, have another cake," Sakura said calmly.

"Okay!" Honey said cheerily.

"Make sure you brush your teeth later," Mori cautioned.

"I will," Honey smiled.

"The club _is_ pretty pathetic. Kura's right," Haruhi gave a short laugh.

"What makes you say that, too?" the twins demanded.

"I mean, don't you guys have anything better to do with your time? Like, I don't know, maybe study and do something that'll hopefully help you in the future? Because at this rate you guys are on the way to ending up homeless in the streets," Sakura shrugged.

"We'd never end up homeless. Our families are wealthy enough to ensure that," Kyoya said coolly.

"Wow, what a mama's boy," Sakura said in surprise. "Didn't expect that from you."

"Kura, don't you think you're taking the directness just a little too far?" Haruhi rebuked.

"It's just my personality, I guess," Sakura said with a shrug of the shoulders and a sweet smile that instantly won over Kyoya. For though he wouldn't admit it, he had a soft spot for innocent, direct, unmarred girls like the one before him. They reminded him of…no, he wouldn't think about it. He wouldn't think about her.

"Hmm, maybe we should give this pearl milk tea a try," Hikaru said thoughtfully.

"It doesn't seem that bad," Kaoru agreed.

"All right, we'll try it!" the two of them chorused. "Boss, what about you?"

Tamaki was still sulking in his corner.

"Oh cheer up, blondie, you're acting like a spoiled brat," Sakura said exasperatedly. Haruhi hid a smile at her little sister's brashness.

"I'm not a spoiled brat! I'm a sweet, courteous, charming, charismatic gentleman!" Tamaki waved his arms in furious gesticulation that made him seem all the more ridiculous. After all, a man in a cheongsam with a face redder than a chili pepper and mushrooms sprouting all over his back would look pretty funny even while staying still.

"You look like an angry turkey who's been digging through a pile of fungi and has eaten one red lobster too many," Sakura said, crossing her arms and looking away disdainfully. At this point, Haruhi was laughing outright with the twins as Kyoya looked on with an amused smile on his face.

"She's got spunk," Mori said with a small smile of his own.

"She's being bad to Tama-chan," Honey turned his big eyes on Mori.

"I think Tamaki needs it," Mori said quietly. "He's used to being petted. This girl may save him from overindulgence."

"Do you think so?" Honey questioned. Mori nodded before absentmindedly wiping crumbs from Honey's mouth with a nearby napkin.

"All right, you two, break it up," Kyoya said apathetically.

"Come help me, mommy," Tamaki pleaded.

"I'm sure you can handle this on your own, being the big boy you think yourself to be, daddy," Kyoya responded.

"Wait, what?" Sakura said in surprise. "So if Kyoya is Tamaki's mom, that means Kyoya married Tamaki's father after Tamaki married someone who gave birth to Kyoya…I'm confused."

"They're not really family, Kura-chan," Haruhi brought her palm to her forehead in exasperation.

"That's somewhat questionable," the twins said as one.

"The Host Club is like a big family!" Honey exclaimed from where he was starting in on a chocolate and strawberry mousse. "Tama-chan's the daddy, Kyo-chan's the mommy, Haru-chan's the sister, Hika-chan and Kaoru-chan are the brothers, and Takashi and I are the big uncles!"

"You're not very big for a 'big uncle,'" Sakura muttered under her breath. Out loud, she declared, "You guys may be the most messed up folks I've ever met."

"You're very direct in your speech, Fujioka Sakura," Kyoya remarked.

"What was your first clue?" Sakura asked him, her eyes narrowing in disdain. He gave a small, bitter smile. Seeing his eyes glaze over, Sakura made a small noise of confusion.

"You remind me very much of a girl I used to know. She had eyes just like yours," Kyoya said before walking out. "I won't be attending club activities for the day."

"What's up with him?" Hikaru asked.

"Dunno, probably just an overload of stuff to do," Kaoru shrugged. "But then again, Kyoya-sempai never misses out on club activities."

"He is vice-president after all," Hikaru commented. "What do you think, boss?"

"Oh, God, now I see it," Tamaki had been uncannily staring at Sakura's face while she gave him the deadliest glare he would ever be given in his life. "You do look a lot like her."

"A lot like who?" Haruhi asked.

"Maybe Kyo-chan had a secret lover before," Honey placed a finger on his jam-stained chin in thought.

"I doubt it," Mori muttered.

"You remind him of his deceased sister, Minako," Tamaki said slowly. "She died of a lung infection when she was nine, about a year before I met Kyoya."

"Kyoya-sempai has never spoken of her," Haruhi said. She was shocked. "I-I didn't know."

"I don't think any of us did," Kaoru spoke quietly. His golden eyes were serious, no longer filled to the brim with a good-humored, joking light.

"That's just awful," Hikaru muttered. Cursing under his breath, he stalked out of the room in the same direction as Kyoya. Naturally, Kaoru called out after him before following in quick pursuit.

"Takashi, did Kyoya ever talk about Mina-chan?" Honey looked up at the tall, silent man.

"No," was the simple answer.

"It's understandable that Kyoya would hide it," Tamaki gave a short laugh. "He's just the type. He doesn't talk about his insecurities and problems with anyone else."

"The Ootori family, huh?" Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Third son. Naturally the expectations for Kyoya are far higher than those for his two elder brothers. He's only got so much room to grow, like there's a set frame and he must paint a beautiful picture inside it. What our job is is to draw him out and show him that he can be anything he wants to be. He can splatter paint outside of the frame he's given."

"Since when were you a part of this club?" Tamaki turned his blue gaze on Sakura.

"I don't want to be a part of your pathetic club," she gave a scornful sniff. "But Kyoya seems to be in need of help right now. And since he seems like a pretty chill guy, I want to help him."

"Good grief," Haruhi slapped herself lightly on the forehead again. "Kura-chan, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"When have any of my ideas been anything but good?" Sakura asked, a pretty smile playing at her lips.

"Um," Haruhi began listing off, only to see no one exactly cared.

"I want to help Kyo-chan too!" Honey exclaimed.

"Yeah," Mori said shortly.

"Okay, so first off, all club activities are cancelled for the day," Sakura announced.

"What?!" Tamaki's expression was nothing short of horrified. "But…our guests…"

"What matters more to you, your best friend or these dimwitted, hormonal teenage girls who should be more than ashamed of themselves?" Sakura glared at him. Just then, the frightening sound of a powerful motor filled the room.

"Not again," Haruhi groaned.

"Fujioka Sakura!" Renge appeared, pointing an accusing finger at the junior high girl.

"Yes, that's my name," Sakura said calmly. She didn't seem to be perturbed at all by the seemingly maniacal French girl cosplaying as a medieval prince in a well-feathered hat who had just risen from the ground on a circular platform. "And you are?"

"Renge, the manager of the Ouran Highschool Host Club. I request that you not intrude on club activities with your brattish ideals. Kyoya is the epitome of perfection, and nothing will change him. Do you understand?" Renge glared down at Sakura in hopes of intimidating her. Well, that certainly didn't work.

"Kura-chan, do us a favor and try not to kill her, okay?" Haruhi murmured. "I know it can be a little tough at times."

"Don't call Haruhi's little sister a brat!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Don't worry; she's used to it," Haruhi replied blankly.

"Is that a remark of reassurance or an insult?" Sakura demanded.

"Renge looks like a prince, Takashi," Honey whispered. "But she doesn't have a crown."

"Yeah," Mori responded, not taking his eyes off the wildly lecturing French blonde. He was thinking the exact same thing as everyone else in the room. _What's her problem?_

"Excuse me," Sakura said deadpan, interrupting the quickly escalating lecture Renge was delivering. "What's your point?"

Not used to being cut off so suddenly, Renge gave a sniff before regaining her composure.

"Like I was saying, you can't just simply cancel all club activities for a day. It's highly impractical and I, as the manager, will not allow it," Renge announced.

"Kyoya's not coming, the twins went after him and probably won't be coming back, and so therefore there's no way the normal entertaining of guests can be pulled off," Sakura said simply.

"We brought Kyoya back!" Kaoru's voice sang. He and Hikaru appeared at the door, dragging a clearly dissatisfied Kyoya behind them.

"Well then," Haruhi said.

"Kyoya!" Sakura exclaimed before suddenly rushing forward and wrapping her arms around the tall, thin boy's waist. His eyes widened behind his glasses in surprise for one brief moment before he rather awkwardly reciprocated the gesture.

"Aw, she's so cute when she's affectionate!" Tamaki cried in delight. Haruhi gave him a strange look.

"Actually, she's cute all the time," she replied with an eyebrow raised.

"And she looks exactly like you," Tamaki ignored Haruhi's flat comment. "Maybe you'll be even cuter when _you're _affectionate. Hmm…"

"Don't be getting any ideas into your head, sempai," Haruhi slapped him upside the head while rolling her eyes. Tamaki whimpered before rubbing his sore head.

"Whoa, I didn't expect this outta her kind," Hikaru said in astonishment.

"Sakura-chan has a soft side after all," Honey remarked. "She must really like Kyo-chan."

"She's just that kind of person," Mori answered. "She's always the one to help others in need and has a good heart under her rough exterior. Sensitive under the toughness."

That was the most Mori had spoken in days.

"You think so?" Honey looked up with a sweet smile. Mori nodded.

"Yeah."

Kyoya let go, mentally scolding himself for displaying such emotion in public.

"It's okay, Kyoya. It'll be okay," Sakura gave him a small smile, looking up into his stormy eyes. Kyoya's eyes widened as he gasped, throwing himself down memory lane…

_"Minako?" a younger Kyoya peeked into the hospital room. "Wh-what happened? What happened to Mina?"_

_ "Kyoya," the stern visage of his father quieted the boy. "Please take a seat."_

_ "Kyo-chan…" the pale-faced girl with huge, dark eyes breathed from the bed. She extended one shaking hand and grabbed Kyoya's hand. "Stay here."_

_ "Do not overexert yourself with speech, my child," the doctor said gently. "Mr. Ootori, is there anything else I could possibly do for your family?"_

_ "No, thank you very much, doctor, but we wish to be left with our girl now," Mr. Ootori said calmly. _

_ "Understood," the doctor left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. _

_ "Mina…" Kyoya breathed. Behind his glasses, his grayish eyes were wide in fear. _

_ "It is time for us to say our goodbyes," Mr. Ootori said gravely. Minako's dark eyes pulsated with fear as she let out a whimper. _

_ "I-I don't want to die," she whispered. _

_ "You will finally be with the mother you never had, my dear," Mr. Ootori said gently. "You will not be alone."_

_ "I don't want to leave," a tear ran down her cheek. _

_ "I-It's not fair!" Kyoya burst out._

_ "Kyoya!" his eldest brother shot him a reprimanding look. "Minako needs peace and quiet in her final moments."_

_ "Don't talk about her like she's dying," Kyoya hissed. _

_ "There is nothing left for us to do," his second brother said dully. _

_ "Kyoya, come here," his college-student sister said softly, drawing the shaken boy towards her. He felt a single tear slip down his face, splashing onto his pressed shirt. _

_ "Kyoya, you must not behave in such an abominable manner," his father said severely. _

_ "Please…don't yell at him," Minako's voice shook. The entire family crowded around her hospital bed. The eldest girl was already weeping, and the two older boys held their heads down in shame of their tear-filled eyes. _

_ "Kyoya?" Minako asked in a small voice. Kyoya hurried to her side, gazing down at the frail form of his beloved little sister. She had wasted away right before his eyes._

_ The two had always been close. As the youngest of the family, they were often brushed off. Maidservants were impatient with them, the older ones were always busy with books, and their father never seemed to have time for his children. And so they found solace in each other, playing and studying together. But Minako's health had always been delicate. Her birth had been a complicated, terrifyingly difficult process that cost the Ootori family a life. From then on, it seemed as though a shadow had been cast over this little girl. Without the care of a mother, she grew up in the hands of servants who could not provide the love she needed. The father couldn't bear the sight of the girl, who looked too much like his much-loved wife. For the first few years of her life, he ignored her completely. Not only was she emotionally underfed, but there was no one to care for her diligently. And so from the beginning, her health had suffered. _

_ "Remember the day when we lost our kites?" Minako gave Kyoya a tiny smile. A scintilla of light flickered in her now clouded eyes. Kyoya felt a grin growing on his face as well. _

_ "And we tried to make new ones out of construction paper so the housekeeper wouldn't get angry with us," Kyoya added._

_ "For losing our new kites," Minako finished. "And remember when we hid under the table at one of Father's big business banquets and got found by the maid bringing duck stew?"_

_ "To be more exact, it was the little dog that always followed her who found us," Kyoya adjusted his glasses. "But that was so much fun."_

_ "Thank you, Kyoya," Minako said slowly. Her breathing was becoming labored with each passing second. "You were the greatest big brother anyone could want."_

_ "Don't worry, Mina," Kyoya tried to keep his voice from trembling. "You'll be fine. I…I promise."_

_ "You will be in good hands, Minako," their father added. "Do not fear the passing, my child."_

_ "I'll be fine, Father," Mina gasped. "I-I love all of you. But I'm worried."_

_ "You have nothing to worry about, sweetie," the oldest girl said through her sobs. _

_ "I'm worried that Kyoya will become like the rest of you grown men," Minako said bluntly. "Cold, hard, selfish, pride-ish, and only worried about money. He doesn't have a mother to raise him right."_

_ "You were always the direct one, weren't you?" the eldest boy said through gritted teeth. Minako gave him a sweet smile. She then turned to Kyoya. _

_ "Be careful, won't you?" she whispered. "Don't be like them. You can be so much more. Happy. Alive."_

_ "I'll be okay," Kyoya said. _

_ "It's okay, Kyoya. It'll be okay," Minako assured him with that pretty little smile she often wore. At that moment, her heart gave out. With a short gasp, she died, her eyelids fluttering shut and her hand falling to the snow-white sheets of the hospital bed. _

"Earth to Kyoya," Hikaru said, waving a hand before the older boy's face. With a small grunt, the glasses-wearing vice president snapped out of his trance, shaking his head to clear it of the painful thoughts.

"Mina," he whispered before cursing under his breath.

"Kyoya-sempai, do you need anything?" Haruhi questioned.

"I…" for the first time, the Host Club saw Kyoya Ootori looking lost and bewildered. He ran a hand through his neatly combed black hair, mussing it in a way that would have caused the twins to laugh had the situation not been so grave.

"We're all here for you, old friend," Tamaki said gently. "It's okay."

"Sakura, you have an uncanny similarity to my deceased sister," Kyoya said slowly. He readjusted his glasses for the fifth time before lifting his gaze to each person in the room. "We must change our outfits and open the doors to our guests. This discussion can wait for another day."

With that remark, he stalked to a large closet in the corner and promptly locked himself in it.

"I thought the boss was the only one who locked himself in closets," Hikaru commented.

"To grow mushrooms and build hamster houses," Kaoru echoed. Tamaki glared at the two twins, who merely ignored him.

"Do any of us really want to know what Kyoya's going to do in there?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"Don't even go there," the others deadpanned.

"If he's building a hamster house, I'm gonna kill him," Tamaki growled. "That's _my _job!"

"This is probably why Sakura thinks you're a transgender with a dildo, boss," Kaoru remarked. Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"Are you two moronic doppelgangers questioning my sex now?" Tamaki shouted.

"With the way you act, whether you're male or female is often pretty questionable," Hikaru shrugged.

"Takashi, is Tama-chan a boy or a girl?" Honey turned to the third-year student.

"Dunno," Mori shrugged. "Maybe both."

"And one more thing," Sakura added, choosing to ignore the now heated debate about Tamaki's gender. She turned to her older sister and looked her up and down. "Why, again, are you in a boy's uniform?"

"Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to grow a new variety of fungi in here to line the hamster habitat," a darker Kyoya, dripping with phosphoric bacteria and undead mushrooms, called from the closet before slamming the door shut.

"Kyoya, I'm gonna kill you!" Tamaki shouted, tearing at his hair in agony.

"Oh, God, what am I gonna do with all of you?" Haruhi brought a hand to her forehead in exhaustion.

**A/N: Please review, no flames will be taken into consideration. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You guys may hate me after this chapter, but I promise that Sakura will change. PROMISE. She has a reason for why she thinks in this way and why she despises her father. Don't worry. You'll understand when you read it…don't freak out, I'm not a person who judges others based on their sexual orientation, but for the purpose of my OC's emotional growth and development I need to have her behave the way she does. Sorry if this is offensive…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, nor am I affiliated in any way with the company that does.**

Chapter 2

"Sakura, you know you're gonna have to eventually see Dad, right?" Haruhi turned to her younger sister.

"No," was the firm response. "I'm not seeing that gay tranny."

"He's not gay," the twins voiced. "Though he is a tranny."

"Close enough," Sakura shrugged. "I don't see much of a difference anyway."

"Sakura," Haruhi tried again.

"Just don't talk to me about Dad, okay? I don't need him, he doesn't need me. We've been like that for years and it's not gonna change by some sudden insightful sisterly talk you have with me," Sakura snapped.

"Then why are you here?" Tamaki inquired.

"I'm here because my father can't afford to send me to Kirimoto anymore, and I can't work full-time to get the money if I want to excel in school," she retorted. "As new as the idea may seem, some of us actually have to work to support ourselves. Sorry if it's hard to understand for you all damn rich people."

"Where did you work before?" Honey asked.

"If you were paying attention, I explained in the last chapter," Sakura replied. (Fourth wall broken…)

"Librarian, music teacher, and musician," Mori muttered to Honey.

"You're a musician?" Tamaki looked at her in a new light. "Do play for us."

"Like I said, I explained all of this in the last chapter!" Sakura shouted. (Dammit, you're ruining all our efforts to tape up the fourth wall…)

"This is a music room after all," Tamaki ignored her outburst and gestured towards the grand piano in the corner of the room as the Hitachiin twins drew back the silken curtain that concealed it from everyday view.

"I'm not playing for you guys," Sakura said with a sniff. "What makes you think I would?"

"It'd probably get Kyoya out of the closet," Kaoru remarked with a small smile. At this, the condescending expression melted away from Sakura's face as she glanced at the wardrobe dripping with grossly black fungi. Yeah, maybe for the closet's sake.

"Okay, fine," she relented. "If it gets him out of the closet I'll do it."

"I thought you were against gays," Hikaru smirked. Sakura shot him an icy glare that froze the devil in his heart. He backed off, his hands raised in surrender.

"Hey, Kyoya, you can come out now," Tamaki called. "Sakura's going to play us a little something on the piano. You wouldn't want to miss out now, would you?"

"Give me a moment," a weary voice came from the depths of the now slimy cupboard. Sakura felt pity for whoever had to clean up that mess.

"Kyoya-sempai probably needs to change once he gets out of there," Haruhi remarked.

"He's going to be all dirty and mushroom-y!" Honey exclaimed.

"Yeah," was Mori's only contribution to the conversation.

"We'll take care of it," the twins chorused, racing to the closet and dragging a black-cloaked Kyoya from its recesses. They tossed him behind the changing screen, and the sound of clothes being ripped off could be heard.

"Don't take his virginity," Tamaki begged. "Don't do anything to mommy."

"No promises!" the twins called back cheerily.

"Get the hell out of here!" Kyoya roared. In an instant, first Hikaru and then Kaoru was thrown out from behind the screen.

"I never heard Kyoya-sempai swear before," Haruhi said thoughtfully.

"Neither have I," Honey added. "Have you, Takashi?"

"No."

"Ooh, Kyoya's ma-ad," the twins and Tamaki hissed.

"You're only provoking him further with your abominable behavior," Haruhi commented. "Cut it out!"

"We're sorry, Haruhi," the three of them turned to her, eyes quavering with fake regret. Well, fake regret on the twins' part. Real regret for Tamaki.

"Just leave him alone," Sakura said sharply. "Stop with your bullcrap. It's not helping."

"Honestly, I feel like calling this girl a word I shouldn't ever have to use," Hikaru growled.

"Just say 'brat' instead," Sakura gave a cheery smile. "I'm used to it."

"Swear at my sister and lose your life," Haruhi scowled at the eldest twin.

"What do you all want?" Kyoya stepped out from behind the curtain in a spare uniform, an angry frown on his (now clean) face.

"Sakura-chan's going to play for you!" Honey exclaimed, smiling happily.

"Yeah," Mori added. Kyoya's eyes narrowed behind the silvery lenses of his glasses.

"I don't recall there being a Steinway piano in this room," he finally said. "We only ordered a Yamaha grand."

"That'd be Tamaki," the twins chorused.

"I'll have to take this into account when calculating this month's budget," Kyoya muttered, pulling out his black book and making a note. "Tamaki, you had better outperform all the other hosts this month in return for this extra expense."

"I always outperform wherever I go," Tamaki replied airily. He was brought back down to earth soon enough.

"Don't think yourself all that and a cup of tea, sempai," Haruhi snapped. "Last time I checked with Kyoya-sempai, the twins had higher sales than you did."

Hitachiin Twins, 2. Boss, 0.

"You mean, a cup of instant coffee," Kaoru corrected. Sakura rolled her eyes at the twins' strange obsession with the commoners' drink.

"Hell yeah!" Hikaru pumped a fist into the air with a smirk on his face. "Too bad, boss."

"Looks like another point for the Hitachiin Twins," Kaoru smiled eerily. "Don't stay too far behind, boss. Or you'll lose the game."

"You little demons!" Tamaki roared.

"Tama-chan, I think Sakura-chan is waiting to play for us," Honey interrupted Tamaki's lash of incoherent, foul language.

"You guys are a really crappy audience," Sakura deadpanned.

"Glad you could tell," Mori muttered.

"Please, do excuse our repulsive behavior and begin your magnificent performance," Tamaki turned on the charm. When was he going to learn that this girl thought he was a dumbass transgender? His flirtatious tendencies weren't improving her opinion him, anyway…

"Tamaki, trying to act charismatic around Sakura isn't gonna make her like you any more, you know," Haruhi said blankly. "Her opinion of you'll probably stay negative for quite some time."

"Oh…" Tamaki shrunk down.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded. "Now, if you don't mind, could I get this started? I actually have other stuff I want to get done today. I don't have any time for you losers to screw around, okay?"

"Okay!" the twins, plus Tamaki, stood straight as soldiers and saluted her simultaneously. "Please begin, my princess."

She rolled her eyes before folding up her sleeves, revealing a small black tattoo on her left wrist. Tamaki leaned forward, trying to make out what it was. It seemed like…oh, it was a cluster of cherry blossoms. Understandable. After all, her name was Japanese for "cherry blossom." At least, Tamaki believed so. He didn't exactly search up the etymology of every name he heard in his lifetime. That was more of something Haruhi would do, to be honest.

But forget the tattoo and etymology and whatever. Focus on the performance, Tamaki. Damn, that girl was good at piano. She waltzed through Chopin's waltzes with ease (ha.), pounded away at Beethoven's sonatas, smiled when it came to Haydn, and pulled off Medtner's graceful fairytales with a serenity unique to herself. That was a completely different person seated at the massive black instrument.

"Is that still Sakura?" Hikaru hissed.

"I think so," Kaoru whispered back. "I mean, she couldn't have escaped without us seeing her, right?"

"And it'd be hard to find a look-alike for her," Hikaru responded quietly. "Unless she had a secret twin…"

"Would you two shut up and listen?" Haruhi shushed their conversation. "That's definitely Sakura."

"Wow…" Honey breathed. "She's really good! Right, Takashi?"

"Yeah," Mori whispered before placing a finger to his lips in a silencing gesture.

"Sakura! Sakura-chan!" a distinctly feminine voice was heard as the doors to Music Room #3 were slammed wide open.

"What the…" Kyoya nearly jumped out of his seat in fright, to the twins' amusement. "Oh, why hello, Ranka-san. It does us good to see you here. Would you like anything to drink, perhaps?"

"Why, Haruhi, why didn't you tell me your adorable little sister was here to visit?" Ranka ignored Kyoya's offer completely and rushed to the piano, embracing his daughter. She stiffened at his touch and squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

"Because she got here less than an hour ago, Dad," was Haruhi's plain response.

"Still no excuse to not let daddy know that one of his little girls is in town! Aw, you're such a little cutie, Sakura," Ranka let out a squeal.

"Cut it out," Sakura muttered, struggling against his hold.

"Sometimes I see why she doesn't like her father," a sweat drop ran down Kaoru's head. "That might be a little hard to deal with on a regular basis."

"You don't say," Hikaru snorted.

"It's not just that," Haruhi said quietly. "It's because of an accident that happened years back, when Sakura was still a little girl…"

_"Sakura!" Ranka, ten years younger, called out to his younger daughter. _

_ "Daddy!" the toddling girl squealed, jumping into his outstretched arms. _

_ "Hello, my little sweetie," Ranka cooed. "Did you miss your daddy?"_

_ "Yes," Sakura replied honestly. "Wanna play hide-and-go-seek with me?"_

_ "Sure thing, love. You go hide first, is that all right?" Ranka smiled. _

_ "Okay!" she giggled, pigtails bouncing in glee. _

_ "I'll count to twenty! One, two, three…" Ranka covered his eyes as Sakura looked from side to side in search of a good hiding spot. Just then, she saw the counter her father was standing right in front of. He'd never think to look behind him. Muffling her laughter, she clambered up soundlessly (or so she thought) up onto the counter, upset a glass of orange juice, spilled an open box of cookies from which her sister had taken half of the contents, and positioned herself directly behind her father's back. He winced at the mere thought of the mess he'd have to clean up after the game was over._

_ "…Nineteen, twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" Ranka called out. He pretended to look around in search of his younger daughter, pacing to and fro across the room. "Hmm, I wonder where my little blossom is…"_

_ Sakura covered her mouth to hide her childishly delighted giggles. _

_ "Aha! Found you," Ranka raced back to the counter, where Sakura was convulsed with laughter. But as soon as he picked her up, he slipped on the spilled orange juice in his hastiness. The little girl fell from his arms to the crown with a sickening thud. _

_ "Sakura!" he shrieked, kneeling down next to her lifeless body. Blood was already seeping from a gaping wound in her head. _

_ "Dad, what happened?" a child Haruhi raced down. "What did you do to her?"_

_ "Haruhi, please find some cloths to try and stop the bleeding," Ranka tried to remain calm. "I'm going to call the hospital. It'll be fine."_

_ "You killed her!" Haruhi screamed at him, cradling her sister's head while applying several towels to the injury. Blood seeped into each snow-white towel, dying them all a hideous shade of red. _

_ "The ambulance is on its way," Ranka's face was deathly pale. "Give her to me."_

_ Wrapping the motionless child in a quilt lying on a nearby couch and ignoring his elder daughter's cries, he and Haruhi hurried down the stairs, ignoring the inquiring calls of their neighbors. Down by the sidewalk, a large white ambulance made a screeching stop. _

_ "Lay her here," a blue-clothed hospital worker commanded. Ranka made no protest as he gently set down the unconscious girl on the white stretcher. It was immediately rushed into the waiting vehicle. Haruhi let go of her parent's hand and ran after her sister. After a moment, Ranka followed. _

_ In the hospital, Ranka stared into the emergency room through the glazed window as Haruhi paced back and forth in worry. Tears slowly clouded his vision as he turned away._

_ "Will she be okay?" Haruhi pulled at his hand. The dams of her own eyes were soon to burst with waterworks. Ranka bent down and pulled his daughter in for a tight embrace. _

_ "It'll be okay, Haru-chan. Everything will be okay. Daddy's here," he whispered. _

_ After what seemed to be an eternity, an exhausted nurse opened the door. _

_ "You may see her now," she said breathlessly. "She'll be fine. That's a tough little girl you have, sir."_

_ "I know," Ranka gave a relieved smile. Haruhi instantly raced into the room. Joyous shouts could be heard as the sisters were reunited. Ranka walked in, trying to invoke a sense of leisure into his step. He didn't want to scare his youngest girl any more than she'd already been. But it was too late. As soon as she saw him, her brown eyes narrowed fiercely. _

_ "I hate you!" she spat. Ranka recoiled, a shock of hurt travelling through his body. _

_ "But—" he tried to speak. "Sakura-chan…" _

_ "I hate you! You dropped me when you picked me up. You almost killed me," she spoke slowly. "Go away. I don't want you to come visit me."_

"…and so you see, Sakura doesn't exactly trust our father," Haruhi finished the story. "And once she grew old enough to understand what he worked at and where he worked, that detest only grew. She'd never supported homosexuality. I think she's Christian, though I could be wrong."

"You don't know what your own little sister's religion is?" the twins exclaimed.

"Just leave me alone!" Sakura spat, wrestling free of her father's embrace. "I told you. I don't want you to ever visit me. I hate you!"

"Kura-chan, you're being way too harsh on Dad," Haruhi pleaded with her little sister.

"Maybe we should leave the three of you alone," Tamaki suggested.

"No, it's fine," Sakura shook her head. She glared at her father, who was currently holding his heart in anguish. He played it off with drama, hoping that his daughter's loathe of him wasn't genuine. Well, too bad that wasn't the case.

"Why don't you get that I want you to leave me alone?" she said angrily. "If you want to be my father, then pay my academy bills and make sure I have a place to sleep. Don't do anything else. I can't believe that you managed to forget Kirimoto has an annual payment but you don't hesitate to hug me when you see me. Isn't that just a little wrong to you?"

"But Kura-chan, aren't you happy to see Daddy?" Ranka's eyes filled with fake tears.

"Stop acting like such a drama queen," Sakura growled.

"This is the real deal," Hikaru muttered to his twin.

"A classic family fight," Kaoru responded with a nod.

"It's just Ranka's more like the teenage sister of the family than the dad," they said in unison, nodding wisely.

"Don't talk about Haruhi's father like that!" Tamaki ordered.

"You must admit that their statement has a good amount of truth to it," Kyoya said with a shrug.

"I thought you were the one who liked Ranka-san, Kyo-chan," Honey looked up at the tall Ootori boy.

"He is," Mori said shortly.

"But that doesn't mean that I don't think his theatrical actions are a bit over the top at times," Kyoya responded calmly.

"Just…go," Sakura finally snapped. "You don't need to pay my bills, you don't need to act like my dad. I don't want you to be my father. All I ever wanted was a normal family. But we can't have that, can we? Mom's dead, you're practically gay, and Haruhi's so book-obsessed she doesn't realize there's a world outside of her own!"

"So the little girl feels left out and without a family," Tamaki said thoughtfully. With a snap of his fingers, he added, "Easily solved."

"You're planning to play daddy for her?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow in doubt.

"Sounds like something the boss would do," Hikaru shrugged.

"You may want to be careful with your courses of actions, Tamaki," Kyoya suggested lowly. "Sakura already thinks you an oddball, possibly not even male. Anything else out of the ordinary would fix her opinion of you as firmly negative."

"Don't worry," Tamaki flashed them a sunny smile. "I know what to do."

"Does he, Takashi?" Honey asked his tall friend.

"Probably not."

"Yeah…" Honey looked back to where Tamaki was describing his plan in its full glory to the twins, who each had a large sweat-drop on the back of their heads.

"No way that's gonna work," was their simple answer. "Nice try."

Tamaki instantly shrunk down, a cloud of depressed indigo-blue showering violet and black rain over his head.

"I'll see you tonight for dinner!" Ranka placed a kiss on his daughter's forehead as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Not coming," Sakura called after him as he slammed the door shut.

"You know, you could at least _try _being civil to him," Haruhi said flatly. "He is your biological dad after all."

"As a father, his duties include paying my academy bills," was the disdainful answer. "He didn't live up to that. So sucks to be him."

"Family circumstances are harsh, Kura-chan," Haruhi tried again. "It's not entirely his fault."

"Well, he could have at least told me that before I was kicked out of the dorms!" Sakura spat. The others watched the testy exchange between the sisters with a good amount of confusion and surprised. And a healthy dose of raised eyebrows.

"That's pretty intense," Hikaru said out loud.

"Yeah, if they go at it like this all the time we'll get no peace in here," Kaoru agreed.

"Haruhi, it's nearly time for our guests to come. Please save your family quarrels for afterwards. After all, you still have that debt to pay, do you not?" Kyoya's glasses shone with an eerie white light.

"That's right…" Haruhi muttered. "Hey, Kura? You think you could wait for me at the middle school? There's some…um, business that I have to take care of here first."

"And what business could that be?" Sakura asked, curiosity filtered through her voice.

"You see, Ouran High School's Host Club entertains young ladies every afternoon," Tamaki explained. "Our dear Haruhi is paying off a little debt by being a host here."

"Which explains why she's dressed as a guy," Sakura said slowly. "You know better than that, getting yourself wrapped up in all kinds of debt when our family is poor as hell."

"I'm not paying in money. I'm paying in time and dignity," Haruhi replied.

"Ouch," the twins chorused.

"Dignity?" Honey asked. "Why dignity, Haru-chan?"

"It's not exactly glorifying to flirt with girls day by day, you know. Especially when you are a girl yourself," Haruhi deadpanned.

"True," Mori shrugged.

"Can I stick around and watch?" a mischievous gleam appeared in Sakura's eyes.

"Absolutely not," Haruhi said firmly.

"Sure thing," the twins smirked.

"I see no problem in that," Kyoya glanced down at his little book.

"Will you eat cake with me?" Honey asked. Sakura nodded, smiling cheerily.

"Yeah," Mori said briefly.

"We welcome you to the Ouran High School Host Club, my little princess," Tamaki swept a dramatic bow. He felt a stinging sensation on his head as he flounced back up. Glancing back at the ground, he saw a brown loafer mocking him, bottom side up.

"Did you really just throw that shoe at him?" Kaoru asked Sakura as he and his twin cracked up openly.

"Seeing as it's over there right now, yeah," Sakura replied.

"You have a pretty damn good aim," Hikaru nodded approvingly.

"Thanks," Sakura flashed him a genuine smile. "I've practiced quite a bit on some nuisances back at Kirimoto."

"Don't tell me you got into fights at school," Haruhi placed her palm on her forehead in frustration. "That'll get you suspended, or even expelled."

"They don't count as fights if I'm the only one who beat someone up," Sakura shrugged. "Plus, no one ever told on me."

"Were they scared because you're so good at martial arts?" Honey inquired.

"Probably," Mori snorted.

"Yeah. No one wants to tangle with a girl who can kick your ass to the moon and back," Sakura said with a peace sign and a wink.

"That's one violent shoe," Tamaki tried to give a good-natured grin.

"You mean, one violent girl," Kyoya corrected. "If I recall, the shoe does not have the capability to remove itself from Sakura's foot, soar through the air, and land a sound hit on your head, daddy."

"Oh, come on, don't contradict me with reality, mommy," Tamaki complained.

"Only because I love you so," Kyoya smirked, patting his friend on the shoulder. He seemed to have recovered from his case of phosphoric fungi and dripping bacteria pretty well.

"If you loved me, you'd kiss this bump better," Tamaki jutted his bottom lip out in a pout as he gingerly massaged the welt.

"No homo," the twins said simultaneously.

"Sakura-chan disapproves," Kaoru explained, in response to the dirty look Tamaki sent him.

"At least someone understands me," said girl bestowed upon the twins a gracious smile.

Hitachiin Twins, 3. Boss, 0.

"So, when's the party getting started?" Sakura took a seat on one of the couches and propped her feet up. "I'm looking to see a pretty damn interesting show."

"If that's what you're looking for," Mori said suddenly. "You'll get even more than that."

"Takashi's right," Honey nodded. "There'll be food too!"

"You and your sweets," Hikaru muttered, eyes slitting.

"But stick around, and maybe you'll see one of us you like," Kaoru leaned in suggestively.

"And maybe you'll request one of our services sometime," Hikaru added. They were getting dangerously close until Tamaki decided to take matters into his own hands.

"All right, you two. Stop figuratively raping Haruhi's little sister," he pulled them far apart and away from the younger girl who was rolling her eyes in distaste.

"Thanks," she said with a sarcastic smile. "I love how you assume I'm helpless and vulnerable when faced with two immature, devilish doppelgangers. I think I can handle myself, faggot."

"Did she just call me a…" Tamaki gasped.

"Do you even know what that word means?" Haruhi demanded.

"It's a swear word," Sakura shrugged. "Fair enough."

"It's not a good idea to use vocabulary you aren't familiar with," Kyoya said doubtfully. Even he had been taken back by her casual usage of the word.

"How else do we learn, if we're only using what we know?" Sakura challenged. "If we don't try new things, there's no way we'll learn anything in this lifetime."

"True," Mori muttered. Kyoya stared at Sakura, who returned his narrow gaze with twice the venom.

"She speaks sense and she has a good aim, what else could we wish for?" Tamaki threw open his arms in a grand gesture.

"You recover quickly," Haruhi said blankly.

"He always does," Hikaru said quickly.

"Yeah, and we'd know," Kaoru smirked.

"No doubt you would," Haruhi replied monotonously. "Are you two gonna be done with that staredown contest of yours anytime soon? It's almost time for the guests to arrive, Kyoya-sempai."

"Right," Kyoya averted his gaze. Sakura smirked,, knowing victory was hers. "The guests."

"What's the theme for today, Tama-chan?" Honey inquired.

"The Romantic period of classical music," was the dreamy response.

"Get real," the twins and Haruhi said unresponsively.

"He's actually being serious," Kyoya said with a slight frown, flipping through his little book. "Though not exactly pertaining to the period in classical music, today's theme is built off of the late 1800s to early 1900s."

"You guys even have themes?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," Kaoru turned to her. "Most of them are kinda weird."

"Kinda?" Hikaru snorted. "More like really weird."

"Anyway, gentlemen plus lady, get into the changing rooms and put on your preselected outfits—we have no time to waste today. Let's get moving!" Tamaki clapped his hands in an authoritative manner.

"That goes for you too, sempai," Haruhi said flatly.

"Oh, that's right," Tamaki proceeded to follow Haruhi into one room.

"What are you doing in here? Get the hell out, you pervert!" Haruhi exclaimed, kicking the crestfallen Tamaki out of her personal changing space.

"Nice try," Sakura sneered. "My sister's harder to get than that, you know."

"Oh, I know," Tamaki groaned. "Believe me, I know."

**A/N: Yeah, so Sakura doesn't like her daddy because he dropped her and she thinks he did it purposely. Because, well, she was pretty young at that time and her memory of the incident isn't really clear. Don't worry; it'll clear up. And I'll start focusing in on the other characters in Chapter 3. I wanted to get my OC's background as well as Kyoya's up first…I'll probably have a filler next about the afternoon. I also want to get a oneshot up (per request of my good friend) of Haruhi and the twins on a purely friendly outing. I don't know how often I'll update. March is a pretty dang busy month for me. But I love writing so…I think I can easily say see y'all soon! ^-^**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just as a heads-up, I have a feeling all the characters will be kind of OOC in this story as it's practically my first attempt at fanfiction. Apologies in advance! And sorry for the late update, March is a really hectic time for me. Plus, I had an ordeal in the emergency room, which really didn't help my schedule at all…but I'm just rambling now. Hope you enjoy, and please review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. **

Chapter 3

…

…

…

Her first reaction.

"What. The. Hell."

"Yeah, we're a pretty odd bunch," Haruhi said sheepishly.

"You don't say," Sakura's eye twitched. "So you're pretending to be a guy, but you're dressed in a girl's clothes, so technically everyone else thinks that you're crossdressing _now _when in reality you crossdress on a regular basis and aren't right now."

"Basically, yeah," Hikaru shrugged.

"What did she say?" Kaoru asked, confused.

Sakura had reason to be shocked and, well, disgusted. There was her beloved older sister who she'd looked up to for a majority of her life (until she got to middle school and realized she could kick ass alone), dressed in a flowing pink chiffon gown plentifully trimmed with genuine jewels and lace. And, of course, a dark brown wig with ringlets.

"Sakura-chan," Tamaki, dressed as a lordly prince in a blue velvet robe trimmed in white fur with a kingly red crown seated upon his blond head. "Wouldn't you like to dress as a princess as well? Like your sister?"

"No," Sakura said flatly. "Just no."

"Rejected…" the twins hissed.

"It's a dance this afternoon," Kyoya remarked. "We have guests showing up in ball gowns and jewels. Tickets were a good sale."

"Sakura, maybe you should go on home," Haruhi suggested.

"Why not let Kura-chan stay?" Honey asked. "She can be a princess too!"

"Yeah," Mori said.

"I don't know if I still want to stay," Sakura said.

"Good, go home," Haruhi replied quickly.

"Nah, let her stay," each twin hurried to one side of the younger girl. "We'll take care of her."

"No," Tamaki said firmly. "She is my young charge. You two dumbasses would probably kill her, or do worse."

"You implying that I can't take care of myself? Sakura questioned, raising an eyebrow. The twins smirked.

"Your attitude is often embarrassing, Kura-chan," Haruhi said, frowning slightly.

"Nah, it's cute," the twins chorused, mischievous smirks playing at their lips. Sakura turned to her elder sister and gave a sweet, innocent smile.

"Tamaki," Kyoya turned to the prince. "It's time to open the doors to our guests."

"Ah, of course," Tamaki nodded, a bright smile spreading over his face.

"I can't wait to see your reaction," Kaoru gave Sakura a small smile.

"I can't wait to see my sister's reaction to my reaction," she laughed.

"Yay!" Honey cried out, running from Mori with his arms outstretched to meet the horde of girls who came flooding through the two double doors.

"Welcome," the hosts (minus Honey) said.

"Where did Honey-sempai go?" Haruhi asked.

"Right there," the twins said flatly.

"I mean, _why _did he go?" Haruhi responded in the same monotonous tone.

"Look," Mori said simply, gesturing to where the third-year high school student was pleasantly conversing with a group of adoring fans already.

"The most probably answer is that someone brought him a box of sweets," Kyoya answered Haruhi's question.

"…The hell?" Sakura's jaw dropped.

"A little surprised by the stupefying amount of our honored guests?" Tamaki smiled, gesturing vaguely to the throngs of infatuated females.

"I'm disgusted," Sakura said blankly.

"I thought as much," Haruhi groaned.

"Why?" Kaoru asked. Sakura turned to the younger twin, distaste written all over her face.

"Is this what you guys do to girls?" she demanded. "Actually, I'm probably more repulsed by the girls in here. Are they seriously that stupid, to fall for a bunch of guys who're just toying with their hearts? Are they all really that desperate, to the point where they go out and _buy _the services of a bunch of dorks with nothing better to do with their time? And you guys, you seriously waste your time, your life, the tuition your parents paid to send you to this private high school, entertaining a bunch of worthless girls?"

"Who's the new girl?" a critical voice floated over to where Haruhi was standing with the rest of the hosts.

"She's standing with the twins," a worried one added.

"Could it be she's stealing them away from us?" yet another panicked.

"You guys are all so fucking stupid," Sakura muttered under her breath. "I've had enough."

"I thought as much," Tamaki said with a small smile.

"And I despise you most of all," Sakura said, the calm tone of her voice infiltrated with quiet anger. "You started this stupid club, wasting the time of bright students both male and female, all filled with vivid potential and talent."

"I respect your opinion," Tamaki's voice was serious now, quiet and calm.

"Sakura," Kyoya broke into the conversation. "Please, have Kaoru take you home. After your lengthy journey to Ouran High School, you must be extremely fatigued. It would not do to have you remain here."

"Sure, Kyoya-sempai," Kaoru shrugged. He gently took the strap of Sakura's bag and carefully pulled it over her head. "I'll take your things. Let's go."

"Thanks," Sakura muttered. She stalked out of the room with a sense of authoritative purpose.

"God," Haruhi murmured. "What am I gonna do with her?"

"She's fine," Mori said quietly. "She's a good sort of girl. Smarter than the rest that are here."

"I know that," Haruhi mumbled. "It's just…her attitude."

"Only one more thing to love about the girl," Hikaru said with a shrug and a grin. "I really like her, even if she gets annoying."

"You barely know her," Kyoya pointed out.

"Gentlemen—excuse me, _lady_ and gentlemen," Tamaki gestured to the group, where Haruhi was supposedly crossdressing as a female. "Let us not dawdle and keep our guests waiting, shall we?"

Here, he cracked a charming smile that had many women in the room swooning. Sakura, who was just about to exit Music Room #3, felt a disgusted expression crawl onto her face.

"Come on," Kaoru looked down at the younger girl with a soft smile. He would effortlessly admit—Fujioka Sakura was something else.

"You really don't have to walk me back," Sakura said as they walked down the hallway. "I'm perfectly capable of getting home myself, you know."

"Honestly, I'd rather spend time with a girl who knows what she's doing rather than twenty who're obsessed with my looks," Kaoru laughed.

"If you disapprove of the guests, why do you stay in the host club?" Sakura asked.

"Because of the hosts," Kaoru said easily. "Tamaki helped Hikaru and me become more accepted in society. We opened up and made friends. Hikaru and I haven't really had anyone we trusted other than each other. But when we met Tamaki, and when he convinced us to join his club, we found that people weren't that bad after all. And plus, entertaining the girls gives us an excuse to be all over each other. I mean, I don't approve of the general idea of the club, but the guests are happy and it's not tedious work."

"You and Hikaru, all over each other?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Actually do I even…"

"You probably don't want to know," Kaoru finished for her, laughing.

"You're different when you're not around your brother, you know?" Sakura commented.

"Different in a good way or bad way?"

"Both, I guess. I mean, it gives you your own distinct personality, but I can tell you feel more secure when you're with him," Sakura shrugged.

"Yeah," Kaoru nodded. "Hikaru and I have been best friends since birth; I mean, we're twins. We didn't open up to anyone else. No one could tell us apart. For all you know, I could be Hikaru."

"No, I'm pretty sure you're Kaoru," Sakura smiled. "Hikaru would have probably turned back and left by now because I pissed him off, or he'd have done something stupid and had me kick him in his sensitive area."

"Ouch, so you're that kind of girl," Kaoru pretended to wince.

"Only if you turn me into one," Sakura responded. "I'm really not as bad as my sister makes me out to be.

"I can tell," Kaoru said.

"It's like, I don't know, it's like a defensive barrier I use," Sakura shrugged. "I don't trust people easily. I don't know why either; I want to reach out to people and help them. I really do. I love seeing people happy, I love helping them, but there's something that's holding me back. Something's that keeping up this thorny fence that drives everyone away. Sorry; I have no idea why I'm telling you all this."

"It's fine," Kaoru said quietly. He glanced down at the younger girl, whose liquid brown eyes had become even darker with the pensiveness of thought. "You don't trust people, do you? You want to trust them, you want to be open, but you're afraid. You're afraid of being hurt."

Sakura turned to him in surprise.

"H-how can you say that?" she demanded. "You barely know me."

"I was the same way," he said with a gentle smile. He passed a hand lightly over her head, causing her to look up at him in surprise. "It's okay to be afraid, Sakura. Give it some time."

To himself, he thought, _hopefully, time in the Host Club will help Sakura open up. Just like it did Hikaru and me._

"Th-thanks for walking me back," Sakura said quietly as they approached a small, rather run-down cottage off the side of a small road. "I'll be going from here. My guardians have a…weird opinion of boys."

"Sakura!" a stern, nearly hostile, voice called out.

"Too late," Sakura muttered. Out loud, she called, "What is it, Misaki-san?"

"Is that a boy, of all things, you're strolling about so casually with?" the sharp voice morphed into the large shape of a fiercely scowling woman. Kaoru's eyes widened at this more than slightly intimidating figure.

"Y-yes, Misaki-san," Sakura bowed her head. Kaoru glanced down and was shocked to see the confident, fearless girl quaking in the presence of this woman.

"Excuse me," Kaoru stepped neatly in front of the small girl and held out his hand in a professional gesture to Misaki. "I'm a friend of a friend of Sakura's. She happened to stop by our school for a quick chat with that friend. It would have been a shame to have her walk back all alone, so that friend volunteered me to accompany her. I do apologize for any convenience I have caused."

Either the mistress of the café was in astonishment by Kaoru's gentlemanly behavior, or she was bewildered and lost by the amount of the word "friend" he had used in his short speech. Either way, she shook his hand rather doubtfully, but her tone lost some of its severity.

"You can bring this friend of your friend in, I suppose," she took a step back and primly wiped a meaty hand on her apron, as if to cleanse it of any germs Kaoru may have. A hygienic, though not quite polite, practice to keep in mind.

"Uh, no, it's o—" Sakura was about to decline the offer before Kaoru cut in.

"I'd love to come in. I heard that this is a delightful little café, and I'd be more than happy to patronize it," Kaoru gave an endearing smile that instantly won over the harsh, though not heartless, elder woman.

"Do come in, my boy," she said with a smile that was nearly fond. "Sakura, go get changed into your maid outfit quickly, dear. We'll be expecting customers soon as it's teatime."

"Yes, Misaki-san," Sakura rushed into the café after grabbing her bag from Kaoru and muttering a thanks.

"So, how do you know our little Sakura-chan again?" Misaki asked Kaoru as the two walked at a leisurely pace towards the tidy little house. "A friend of her friend, eh? What sort of friend?"

"A girl friend from a few years back," Kaoru said carefully. He wasn't sure if Sakura had told Misaki about her family and didn't want to say anything that would ignite the small but powerful girl's wrath. Though he hadn't done much (in his own terms) to upset her, that didn't mean he wanted to try.

"And do you plan on dating Sakura?" Misaki questioned. Kaoru gave a start, but recovered quickly.

"Come on, now!" he said with a rather quick laugh. "I only just met the girl."

"Do you like her?" Misaki demanded, suspicion quickly crawling into her voice as they stepped up onto the porch.

"Of course I like her, she's a nice girl," Kaoru said cautiously.

"Hmph," was the only response. Misaki peered into the doorway, "Sakura!"

"Yeah?" Sakura came to the front from the backroom, tying the strings of her apron behind her back. "Did you need—the hell is wrong with you, Kaoru? You look like a tomato just hit you straight in the face."

"N-nothing," Kaoru suddenly lost all his natural smoothness in an attempt to keep his cool. He averted his eyes, willing away the red flush creeping up his face and the back of his neck. _Fuck. _

Truth was, though she was a young girl (a whole year junior to him), she had a decent, no, more than decent, figure and definitely a pretty face. Combine these charms and throw in a classic maid outfit and, well, _damn. _

"So it's the hormonal phase for you, eh?" Misaki smiled in a knowing manner.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura cocked her head in confusion.

"Nothing, dear, we'll be expecting customers soon so please open the curtains," Misaki said to the junior high girl.

"Got it," Sakura gave a cheerful grin in return before moving to complete her task. Kaoru noticed that she lost a lot of her shyness inside the teahouse. Apparently this was something she was familiar with. She was a different person here. Sweeter, milder, gentler. Kaoru shook these thoughts from his head. He barely knew her. It wasn't his place to do anything but keep his mouth shut and sample that, what was it? PMT?

"Hey, Kaoru," Sakura called.

"Yeah?" Kaoru answered distantly.

"You want to try some PMT?"

Holy shit, was she reading his mind now?

-o-o-o-

"Kyoya-sempai," Haruhi approached the tall, slim boy.

"Yes?" was the brief response. He didn't bother to look up from his laptop screen. Haruhi sighed.

"What do you think I should do about Sakura?" she asked straightforwardly. Now, this got his attention.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Her attitude, her bluntness, and her holier-than-thou way of carrying herself," Haruhi explained.

"She seems fine to me," Kyoya returned disinterestedly to his typing.

"She won't survive at the junior high here if something isn't done," Haruhi pleaded. She never would have thought to approach the taciturn vice president for advice, especially when it came to her rather unusual little sister.

"She's the survivor type," Kyoya commented, the whirlwind of his fingers slowing for an instant. "I presume she will be perfectly fine."

"Hey, do you know when Kaoru's gonna get back?" Hikaru approached the two, disgruntled. "The girls aren't interested if he's not around."

"It's because your brotherly and often questionable affection for each other delights our honored guests," Kyoya explained. "Without it, you are practically worthless as hosts."

"_Arigato_," Hikaru said flatly. "I definitely needed that…"

"Hey, just because they don't recognize you for who you are as an individual doesn't mean the rest of us don't," Haruhi placed her hand on his arm gently with a soft smile. "I think you're pretty great."

Hikaru gave a start, drawing his arm back with a speed unknown to himself.

"Th-thanks, I guess," he stammered. He cursed inwardly at his lack of elegance. Damn Tamaki and his ability to charm his way into the lives of girls so easily. Especially this particular girl. Damn him.

**A/N: I know; not the best quality. But I felt the need to get something up **_**fast **_**because it's been practically a month since I've published anything at all. Towards the end, I may not have gotten to the Tamaki/Haruhi, but there was just a hint of Hikaru/Haruhi. It's gonna kill Hikaru…**

**Please review! :)**


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